(SFX: SHOUTING B.G.) BRAD: (SHOUTS) Yeeeahaaah! Whoo! LISA: Take it easy. BRAD: Come on! KYLE: Dude, did you hear the guy at the hotel this morning? They spotted Mako sharks. BRAD: Please, they go after seals, not this hard body. LISA: Brad, this isn’t a joke. BRAD: The odds of a shark attack against humans is about ten thousand to one. I saw it on the Discovery Channel. KYLE: I don’t know, bro’. BRAD: Fine. You girls stay up here where it’s safe. I’m gonna get up close and personal with the coral reef. (BRAD JUMPS OVER THE RAILING INTO THE WATER) (SFX: SPLASH)

CUT TO:

EXT. UNDERWATER

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/BRAD SWIMMING) (SFX: UNDERWATER SHOUT)

(MUSIC OUT)

(THEME MUSIC UP OVER OPENING TITLE/SCENES/ CREDITS AND OUT)

FADE IN:

INT. NCIS SQUAD ROOM – DAY

GIBBS: The body was in the water less than twenty-four hours. NAS Key West tagged and bagged and shipped it over. TONY: We have an I.D.? GIBBS: Seaman Russell MacDonald. Nineteen. Assigned to the USS Foster. KATE: Destroyer. Spruance Class. GIBBS: Hey, look at that! New kid on the block’s been doing her homework.

“The Immortals”

GIBBS: USS Foster left Roosevelt Roads Naval Station two days ago en route to Norfolk. This is her position now. The body was found here, in the Bahamas. TONY: Roosevelt Roads? GIBBS: Yeah. TONY: That’s Puerto Rico. GIBBS: Yeah. TONY: I love Puerto Rico. GIBBS: I’m glad. TONY: No boss, you don’t understand. I love Puerto Rico! KATE: You been there a lot? TONY: No! No, that’s just it. I’ve never been there! I mean, I’m so wanting to go ever since I was a kid! I’m so wanting … sorry. I just always… GIBBS: … wanted to be there. TONY: Yeah. GIBBS: Sometime night before last, Seaman MacDonald went overboard. KATE: Anyone see or hear anything? GIBBS: No. Didn’t know he was missing until he failed to report for duty. KATE: Anything in the medical? GIBBS: We’ll get all that when we get onboard. Anything else unusual?

CUT TO:

INT. AUTOPSY ROOM – DAY

DUCKY: This is exactly how he was found. TONY: Dress Whites? Why? GIBBS: No one knows. There were no formal events scheduled. KATE: The sword? GIBBS: Officer’s ceremonial. TONY: Our man’s enlisted. GIBBS: Yeah. Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

DUCKY: Here’s something else for the mystery tour. This so-called ceremonial sword is sharp enough to slit someone’s throat. Do you know why they drive on the left hand side of the road in England? Dates back to medieval times. Most people were, and still are, right handed. It allowed them to slash at one another when passing on horseback. Ha! Now why, you might ask, doesn’t this hold true for the rest of Europe? KATE: Why the chain on the waist? DUCKY: Ah… these…. (DUCKY LIFTS WEIGHTS) DUCKY: …these were attached to it…each twenty five pounds. Now whether he put them on himself or someone did it for him, that much weight sent him down fast. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get our poor seaman out of his wet clothes. TONY: You’re not going to say, ‘and into a dry martini,” are you? DUCKY: No. No, we’ll save that for later… for me, I’m afraid.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. NCIS SQUAD ROOM – DAY

GIBBS: The Seaman was local. Address is in the file. You don’t have to do the dirty deed. CACO already notified next of kin. TONY: Why me, Boss? Wouldn’t a woman be more sympathetic? GIBBS: That’s why Kate is going with you.

KATE: I’m sure Tony can handle it alone. GIBBS: When did an order turn into a debate?

CUT TO:

EXT. MACDONALD HOUSE – DAY

(CAR DOORS OPEN/CLOSE) TONY: I hate this. I really do. KATE: Going to be that tough? TONY: You have no idea. KATE: No, I don’t. (BEAT) Tony? TONY: Yeah. KATE: Take a breath. Think of Puerto Rico. TONY: Good idea.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. MACDONALD’S – DAY

KATE: According to what’s been reported, Russell didn’t seem to have a lot of friends on the destroyer. MACDONALD: Oh no, he had many friends on the ship. He told me so in his letters. TONY: Was the sword Russell’s? MACDONALD: It was my husband’s. He was Scottish. He served in the Black Watch Regiment. KATE: Russell’s file says he’s deceased. MACDONALD: He was killed in a car accident when Russell was twelve. Russell was devastated. KATE: Did Russell seem particularly obsessed with the sword?

MACDONALD: Um… I don’t understand why you… TONY: A similar weapon was found with the… near Russell. KATE: Mrs. MacDonald, in Russell’s letters did he seem, you know, down or depressed? MACDONALD: Russell had his quirks. But a mother knows things about her son. He would not have killed himself! It’s a mortal sin. `

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

EXT. MACDONALD HOUSE – DAY

KATE: Are these interviews always that difficult? TONY: I guess. KATE: You guess? TONY: I’ve never interviewed a victim’s mother before. KATE: Well, I thought you’d been a Baltimore homicide cop. TONY: I always had someone else interview the mother. KATE: This was your first? TONY: Yeah. KATE: Why did you assume I’d have no idea how bad it was going to be? TONY: I didn’t think you would. KATE: That is so presumptuous! TONY: Kate. KATE: What? TONY: Breathe.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

EXT. USS FOSTER DECK – DAY

MORRIS: The Commander’s on a call with LANT fleet, Sir. He’ll catch up with you as soon as he can. GIBBS: We appreciate it, Master Chief. TONY: Did you have any contact with Seaman MacDonald? MORRIS: Can’t say I did, Sir. Kept pretty much to himself. GIBBS: Seems to be the general consensus. Or the party line.

CUT TO:

INT. PASSAGEWAY – DAY

MORRIS: We’ve got you set up in the XO’s quarters. It’s small, but it’s private and secure. GIBBS: I’m sure it’ll be fine. (KNOCK ON DOOR)

CUT TO:

INT. STATEROOM – DAY

ROBBINS: Enter. (KNOCK ON DOOR)(DOOR OPENS) MORRIS: Lieutenant Commander Robbins, Agent Gibbs. GIBBS: Appreciate you giving up your… ROBBINS: Not a problem. MORRIS: NCIS is always welcome aboard, Sir. You can expect excellent cooperation. GIBBS: I appreciate that, Master Chief. MORRIS: If you need anything… GIBBS: Oh, I won’t hesitate. (DOOR CLOSES) KATE: Now why didn’t that sound sincere? GIBBS: Ah, you get used to it. They either stonewall or kiss ass. To them we’re the Internal Affairs of the Navy. KATE: So basically they hate us. TONY: No. (BEAT) Pretty much. GIBBS: Set up the laptop and establish a feed from NCIS. TONY: I’m on it. KATE: We’re not all sleeping here, are we? Together? GIBBS: I’ll take the couch.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. ENLISTED QUARTERS – DAY

GIBBS: Afternoon, gentlemen. CARNAHAN: Afternoon, Sir. GIBBS: Okay, let’s dispense with the small talk. Which one is his bunk…. Petty Officer Carnahan? CARNAHAN: Below mine, Sir. GIBBS: Thank you, Petty Officer. Did you know MacDonald? CARNAHAN: Not well. He pretty much kept to himself. GIBBS: (OVERLAP) …kept to himself. Did he like to llisten to music? Like to read? CARNAHAN: I really didn’t notice, Sir. GIBBS: Your bunk is right above his, but you didn’t notice? CARNAHAN: I’m a private kind of person. GIBBS: Well, if you had to venture a wild guess, Carnahan, what do you think MacDonald liked to do? CARNAHAN: Spend his life at work. YOUNG: (V.O.) Computers run the weapons systems…

CUT TO:

INT. BRIG – DAY

YOUNG: …the radar, the sonar. We’re the backbone of the ship here, Agent DiNozzo. TONY: The brightest of the brightest under your command. YOUNG: I like to think so. TONY: Where was Seaman MacDonald in the food chain? YOUNG: He was good. TONY: How good? YOUNG: That depends on what you’re comparing him to. TONY: All right, compared to you. YOUNG: I trained at MIT. MacDonald was a year out of high school. TONY: The best I.T. guy in our office is twenty-two. Harvard. When he gets stuck, he calls his fourteen year old nephew. YOUNG: MacDonald was very good. TONY: How very? YOUNG: When he was focused, better than anyone here. TONY: Including you? YOUNG: (BEAT) Including me. TONY: Had he been focused lately? YOUNG: No. Hadn’t for a long time. TONY: You think he off-ed himself, Lieutenant? YOUNG: It’s possible. He was troubled. There was definitely something bothering him.

CUT TO:

INT. SICKBAY – DAY

CARUSO: He was having a hard time adjusting to ship life. I suggested he get into counseling. KATE: Was he receptive? CARUSO: No, Ma'am. He just wanted to talk to me. KATE: What were his issues? CARUSO: I wouldn’t get into them. It was obvious that Seaman MacDonald was disturbed, but I wasn’t qualified, Ma'am. KATE: But you did talk to him. CARUSO: As his Medical Corpsman, not his psychologist. All I know is that he had this mysterious friend. He was from here, but he wasn’t here. It didn’t make any sense. But he seemed obsessed with him. KATE: Do you think that Russell MacDonald was capable of taking his own life? Off the record. CARUSO: Definitely not!

CUT TO:

INT. ENLISTED QUARTERS – DAY

(GIBBS SEARCHES THE BUNK) TONY: (V.O.) So here’s what we’ve got.

CUT TO:

EXT. USS FOSTER – DECK

TONY: A dead kid wearing dress whites for no reason, with a sword he shouldn’t have on, which is not supposed to be sharp, at the bottom of the ocean, with weights on. KATE: He was a brilliant but troubled computer tech, who lived at work, and had a mysterious friend. GIBBS: Okay, so given the circumstances, probably not an accidental death. So… suicide or murder? TONY: The C.O. suggests he could have killed himself. KATE: The Corpsman he confided in and his mother are adamant he never would have. GIBBS: Something else to consider. I found this in Seaman MacDonald’s rack. You know that razor sharp sword he was wearing? He was teaching himself how to use it.

(MUSIC OUT)

MUSIC IN:

INT. OFFICER’S QUARTERS – DAY

ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) We found a couple more things on MacDonald‘s body. Um… he was wearing this around his neck. (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) Just your average Saint Christopher medal. But here’s what’s really odd. He had this in his pocket. My guess is it’s some sort of character charter for a

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) It’s a Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game. They’re huge on the internet.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) And a character charter would be what? ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) It’s like a character’s manifesto.

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) His goals, moral stance, creed.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) You’re kidding me. ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) No, they really get into this stuff. There can be like thousands of players on one site alone. GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Well, that’s comforting to know that Russell’s computer skills were put to good use on a billion dollar ship. ` ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) Oh, he’s a…

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) …computer geek?

(SCENE CUT)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, worked in the Combat Information Center. ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) That is a perfect gig for a power gamer.

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) I mean, he was working on combat, it was just more like the medieval kind.

ABBY: (INTO PHONE)…anonymous server clients in every country on the planet.

(SCENE CUT)

KATE: (INTO PHONE) MacDonald’s file didn’t show any foreign language skills, you’re probably looking for something run in English. ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) That’s good. TONY: (INTO PHONE) The machines are state of the art. Think government excess. ABBY: (FILTERED) Well, that’ll eliminate the weekenders, and the lo-fi guys. I mean, I’ll give it a shot, you know. Oh, the sword. GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) What about it?

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) The blade has nicks in it. Contact with hard metal.

DUCKY: (INTO PHONE) …gazing directly into an exposed digestive system doesn’t aid the actual process. TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) Not after the meal we just had.

(SCENE CUT)

DUCKY: (INTO PHONE) Yes, I’m sorry about that, my friend, but sometimes gaining valuable insight requires suffering small indignities. I recall one case, a young woman, not much older than yourself. She ingested…

DUCKY: (V.O./FILTERED) Yes, his fingers grabbed whatever he was touching when he succumbed. There’s a good chance Abby will deduce the dirt came from the ocean floor. TONY: (INTO PHONE) Which means? DUCKY: (V.O./FILTERED) Seaman…

(SCENE CUT)

DUCKY: (INTO PHONE) …MacDonald was alive when he went into the sea.

(END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

CUT TO:

INT. WARDROOM – DAY

ENSIGN RAY: Stainless steel blade, acid-edged and hand polished. Fittings, guard and pommel are twenty four carat gold plated. As late as the eighteen hundreds. A sword like this would have been used to defend against the enemy trying to board a ship. Only the blade would have been sharp enough to take a man’s limb off. I always liked pirate movies. Didn’t you? TONY: Not really.

ENSIGN RAY: Of course, today it wouldn’t stand much of a chance against a nine millimeter H and K-M-P five parabellum, would it? TONY: Guess you like gun movies, too? ENSIGN RAY: I like all weapons, Sir. TONY: I can really appreciate that, Ensign. Are all the officers’ ceremonial swords accounted for? ENSIGN RAY: Yes, Sir. I checked with thirty two officers, found thirty two swords….including my beauty. TONY: We’re going to need to take a look at all of them. ENSIGN RAY: Yes, Sir. TONY: So where do you think MacDonald could have acquired the sword? ENSIGN RAY: At the only place that would have sold them. The base exchange. TONY: Roosevelt Roads Naval Station? ENSIGN RAY: Yes, Sir. If a clerk was lax in checking I.D., he might might have bought one as a souvenir. But he’d have to hide it onboard. TONY: Why’s that? ENSIGN RAY: Enlisted me aren’t allowed to carry weapons on ship. That’d be insane.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIDGE – DAY

RIVERS: We’re taking care of you, I trust. GIBBS: Very nicely, Skipper. RIVERS: I didn’t know the boy very well. GIBBS: No one did, it seems.

RIVERS: He was doing some maintenance work on my computer last week. He seemed to be in a bit of a daze. So I had a Corpsman administer a drug test. He was clean. GIBBS: The toxicology test we gave him came up negative. RIVERS: What do you make of the uniform, the sword and all? GIBBS: I’m not sure. But we think he was involved in an online fantasy game. RIVERS: Like an M.M.O.R.P.G? GIBBS: Yeah. RIVERS: My children play. A lot. GIBBS: We think he might have taken it a step further and staged real fights with someone on board. RIVERS: On board? How would that be possible? GIBBS: Well, Skipper, I’m sure you know the ship better than anyone else under your command. RIVERS: Inside and out, Agent Gibbs. GIBBS: So if you wanted to stage a sword fight with another shipmate and not get caught? RIVERS: Damage Control in the Machine Shop at night.

CUT TO:

INT. LAB – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/ABBY PLAYS THE COMPUTER GAME B.G.)

ABBY: Damn! Not the King’s guards again. Okay, I’m turning left into the dungeon and I spy a… great staff of power! Oh, kick their asses! I’ve already surpassed the third level of the fortress and made it into the dungeon corridor of the castle’s inner stronghold. After, of course, slaying two gnomes, a drunken dwarf, and a frenzied ogre. (SFX: COMPUTER WEAPONS FIRE B.G.) DUCKY: Of course. You know, this reminds of something. Actually, I can’t think of a thing it reminds me of.

CUT TO:

INT. SICK BAY – DAY

CARUSO: The night Seaman MacDonald died there were three laceration injuries. Two were work related, verified by their Division Officers. KATE: The other? CARUSO: A prank gone wrong in front of seven witnesses. It didn’t involve a sword. KATE: Well, there have to be injuries that don’t have witnesses. CARUSO: All the time, Ma'am. Mostly after a liberty call. A surprising number of shaving cuts. KATE: Chief, it would be helpful if I could get some of the files of any of the questionable lacerations. CARUSO: Going back how far, Ma'am? KATE: A couple of months? CARUSO: I’ll need a couple of hours. KATE: I like the symmetry. (BEAT) MacDonald’s mystery friend… did he ever mention being afraid of him? CARUSO: He only talked about him once. It was more like Seaman MacDonald was in awe of him.

CUT TO:

INT. LAB – DAY

ABBY: You’re a prince, Ducky. (SFX: COMPUTER GAME B.G.) DUCKY: Is that a safe occupation in this… what is this game you’re playing? ABBY: The Immortals. And being a prince is pretty safe unless the Elf Sorceress invades the King’s Apartments and turns you into an ogre. Whoa! Whoa! Just dodged a flaming arrow! DUCKY: Well done. ABBY: I’m almost there, Ducky. DUCKY: Where exactly is “there?” ABBY: The innermost stronghold of the castle. DUCKY: Ah, The Keep. ABBY: Yeah, see? You’re catching on! DUCKY: Not really. ABBY: Remember the character charter I found in the dead seaman’s uniform? DUCKY: The booklet? ABBY: The booklet contained his character’s name, “Weylin”, and his creed. I just don’t know if he was playing “The Immortals” or some other online game. DUCKY: Um…that’s what you’re trying to find out? ABBY: Yeah, if I can get into “The Keep” I can open a log of all characters that have played "The Immortals". DUCKY: What’s that coming towards you? ABBY: Oh, it’s an Orc! (SFX: SWORD FIGHT B.G.) ABBY: Oh! I just got dismembered! Now I have to infiltrate the castle again. DUCKY: Would this help, my dear? ABBY: Oh, yes.

(DOOR OPENS) GIBBS: Who would have thought that Pong would turn into online role playing games? TONY: Pong? GIBBS: Yeah, the first video game. What are the odds of Seaman MacDonald’s character… TONY: Weylin.. GIBBS: …fighting online in… TONY: The Immortals... GIBBS: …another seaman’s character…. TONY: Uh… Kinvaras? GIBBS: …and both of them are on the same destroyer? TONY: About the same as Seaman MacDonald being found at the bottom of the sea with chains around his waist. GIBBS: Sounds like something that should happen in the game. TONY: Beheading is more likely. GIBBS: Why do they use such weird names? TONY: When you’re a computer geek invading dungeons and fighting ogres, Jethro doesn’t cut it. (BEAT) Neither does Tony. (VOICE OVER P.A. B.G.)

CUT TO:

INT. PASSAGEWAY – DAY

GIBBS: Seaman MacDonald bought an officers’ sword and was teaching himself how to use it. I think he found out who else onboard was role-playing…. TONY: Kinvaras. GIBBS: …and decided to take it to the next level. Reality. TONY: Well, Boss, if they both had to have swords, chances are they bought them at the Navy Exchange in Puerto Rico. I could helo there, make an undercover purchase of a sword, bust the clerk, swap the bust for info on who bought the swords for the ship. I’ll be there and back in twenty four hours. GIBBS: Six. TONY: Twelve. GIBBS: This is not a negotiation, DiNozzo. TONY: Six. (DINOZZO TRIPS OVER THE KNEE KNOCKER)

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

EXT. USS FOSTER – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/COD TAKES OFF)

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. LAB – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/ABBY PLAYS THE COMPUTER GAME) ABBY: Damn! This is going to take a while.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

EXT. PUERTO RICO – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/COD LANDS)

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. NAVY EXCHANGE – DAY

CLERK: Can I help you, Petty Officer? TONY: What do you think? CLERK: I think they look good on you. TONY: Yeah? CLERK: Yeah. TONY: I’ll take them. CLERK: Okay. Would you like anything else? TONY: How about a Naval Officer’s sword. CLERK: You know I can’t sell you that. TONY: My friend said I could get one here. CLERK: Well, your friend is wrong. I could get in trouble.

TONY: It’s not like it’s drugs or anything, it’s just a stupid sword. CLERK: Well, the Navy has these rules, okay? Take it up with them. TONY: I’ll pay extra. Come on. I just want to take it home as a souvenir. Nobody’s going to know. CLERK: Six hundred dollars. TONY: They retail for four. CLERK: I could lose my job. TONY: Five hundred. CLERK: Aye! TONY: All right. All right. All right. (TONY COUNTS MONEY) TONY: Thank you. Now look, I know you’re going to take this the wrong way, but I’m NCIS and you’ve got some ‘splaining to do. (THE CLERK BEGINS SHOUTING IN SPANISH B.G.) TONY: (V.O.) All I want is some information. Okay, that’s all I want. (THE CLERK CONTINUES SHOUTING AT TONY WHILE THROWING ITEMS AT HIM) TONY: Once you settle down, we’re going to be just fine. Now listen, you gotta love Puerto Rico.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. MACHINE ROOM – DAY

GIBBS: Hey, look at these marks. KATE: More here. (INTERCUT SFX: SWORD CLANG) KATE: These are about two sword-lengths from the cuts in the other one. MacDonald and Kinvaras were starting to take their game very seriously. GIBBS: We don’t know that yet. KATE: Well, I checked all the officers’ swords… and there wasn’t a scratch on any of them. GIBBS: Abby has not concluded that the other metal that MacDonald’s sword came in contact with came from another sword. KATE: Then why did you send Tony to Puerto Rico. GIBBS: It’s called being thorough. Hunches do not hold up in court. KATE: And not just a hunch. Two people stated that he wasn’t prone to suicide. GIBBS: Why are you pushing this, Kate? KATE: Because it makes sense. He’s Catholic. GIBBS: Hmm. And so are you. You cannot let personal situations color your judgment. KATE: I don’t. But you hired me because of my knowledge and my experience. You’ve never seen how a suicide can tear up a Catholic family. They take it very seriously. GIBBS: Somehow I don’t think this guy’s the Catechism type. KATE: He was wearing a Saint Christopher medal when they found him. Even the most hardened criminals wouldn’t cross that line. It’s part of the culture. (SFX: PHONE RINGS B.G.)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Gibbs. (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

(SCENE CUT)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) Hey, it’s me.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Hey, your ears must have been burning. It better not be from the tropical sun.

(SCENE CUT)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) Uh… here’s what I have.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Hang on. The reception’s not good here. Let me see if I can get to a better spot. (TO KATE) It’s DiNozzo. I’m going to go up top – see if I can get a better signal. (INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENES OF THE SWORD FIGHT)

(SCENE CUT)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) The Base Exchange was selling swords to enlisted. One was definitely to Seaman MacDonald. There were three other…

GIBBS: Yeah! This one matches the description Tony gave us. KATE: Name’s not on the list of suspicious injuries at sick bay. How many people on this boat?

GIBBS: This ship has three hundred and twenty three enlisted, thirty two officers. You’re luck this isn’t an aircraft carrier. KATE: Hmm. GIBBS: What? KATE: Petty Officer Ronald Zuger cut his arm on a plate glass window last month. Only there were no glass shards in the wound. GIBBS: Matches the description? KATE: To a tee. Guess where he works?

ZUGER: The last time I looked there was nothing in the UCMJ about virtual homicide, Sir. GIBBS: You’re not under arrest. ZUGER: Then why am I here, Sir? GIBBS: For starters, there’s a little matter of misappropriation of government property. ZUGER: Everyone in CIC plays online a little. GIBBS: Well here’s a flash. They don’t give you guys top notch equipment so you can have a better gaming experience.

ZUGER: Well, they wouldn’t have top notch equipment if it weren’t for guys like me. GIBBS: Guys like you and Seaman MacDonald? Okay, what came first, the online chicken or the CIC egg? ZUGER: I didn’t know he was onboard for a long time. GIBBS: Must have been quite a shock. ZUGER: Actually we had a pretty good laugh over it. GIBBS: He’s not laughing now, is he?

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) This guy had diarrhea of the keyboard. It’s going to take me a while to get through it.

(SCENE CUT)

KATE: (INTO PHONE) I’ll do it. I want to.

(SCENE CUT)

ABBY: (INTO PHONE) Cool. (END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

CUT TO:

INT. WARDROOM – DAY

GIBBS: Seaman MacDonald saw you as some sort of authority figure. ZUGER: I outranked him, Sir. GIBBS: That’s not what I mean. ZUGER: I didn’t kill him, Sir! GIBBS: Okay. Have you ever killed him? (BEAT) In the game? ZUGER: Sure. Kinvaras beheaded Weylin lots of times. GIBBS: You were better than him. ZUGER: Lots better. It pissed him off. GIBBS: Is that when you decided to fight for real? ZUGER: I never said we fought for real, Sir. GIBBS: Tony! (DOOR OPENS) TONY: I found this hidden in your rack, amigo. It won’t take long for the crime lab to match up the metals. ZUGER: Look, it was his idea. Take the game to the next level. I thought it was kind of cool at the time! GIBBS: Until you got cut. ZUGER: Yes, Sir. GIBBS: Did that frighten you, Zuger? When you found out that MacDonald was playing for real? ZUGER: Kinvaras is never frightened. And I’ve never quite known what Weylin was thinking. GIBBS: Where were you the night that MacDonald went overboard? ZUGER: I was helping a friend with a computer problem…most of the night. GIBBS: Big problem. ZUGER: Huge, Sir.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. LAB – DAY

MACDONALD: (V.O.) I’m constantly being scrutinized by the crew. Every move I make is monitored by calculating eyes. I’m sure at this point they’re in allegiance with Kinvaras. I can’t let them know I’m on to them. The element of surprise will be a great advantage for my final triumph.

(MUSIC UP AND OUT)

FADE IN:

INT. WARDROOM – DAY

GIBBS: Petty Officer Zuger said he was helping you the night Seaman MacDonald went over. Is that true? CARNAHAN: In a way. GIBBS: Are you going to help me out here, Petty Officer Carnahan? CARNAHAN: I had been downloading a lot of… stuff off the internet onto my PC. GIBBS: Porn? CARNAHAN: I was pretty sure my C.O. was suspicious, so I hired Zuger. He cleaned out the hard drive. GIBBS: There was a considerable amount to clean out. CARNAHAN: I have a lot of free time on my hands, Sir. DUCKY: (V.O.) As I thought.

DUCKY: (V.O./FILTERED) …with the sedimentary composition of the ocean floor.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Any signs the suspect had a dance partner before he went over? DUCKY: (V.O./FILTERED) There were abrasions on his hands... GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) No sign of a struggle? DUCKY: (V.O./FILTERED) Mmm, the only bruising I could see is where the chain was attached.

(SCENE CUT)

DUCKY: No, the only struggle this poor fellow endured was the one to breathe when he hit the bottom.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Okay, thanks. DUCKY: (V.O./FILTERED) I wish I could say it was my pleasure. From what I hear…

(SCENE CUT)

DUCKY: (INTO PHONE)… the afterlife could be a vast improvement for a young man so troubled. You know, there’s a great book…

(SCENE CUT)

DUCKY: (V.O./FILTERED)… I should say. GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Gotta go, Duck. (END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS) GIBBS: There are signs the victim struggled, and our only suspect has an iron-clad alibi. TONY: Sure looks like a suicide to me. KATE: I don’t think it’s that simple. GIBBS: You are letting your personal experience get in the way here. KATE: No, I’m not talking about his religious morals. Okay, I’ve been reading this diary for hours. I mean, MacDonald gives no indication of intent to kill himself. It’s just the opposite, in fact. GIBBS: Go on. KATE: MacDonald seems resolved to continue his battle with Kinvaras after he leaves the ship. So why would a man so intent on his mission, no matter how deranged, off himself and end it? GIBBS: What else is in his diary? KATE: I’m on the last entry right now. GIBBS: Get me Petty Officer Zuger’s records now. TONY: I’m on it. (INTO PHONE) I need Petty Officer Zuger’s records, please. I’ll hold. GIBBS: What? TONY: Aren’t you the least bit interested to know what I brought you back from Puerto Rico? GIBBS: No. KATE: Listen to this TONY: (V.O.) Hey, yeah. KATE: MacDonald says that after he makes his escape, he’ll destroy his enemies by releasing a great plague against the realm as the sun sets beneath the next full moon. TONY: Files on the way. GIBBS: Plague? Plague. There it is. MacDonald had applied for the NBC program. TONY: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical weapons. GIBBS: Passed the physical, flunked the psych. TONY: So what’s the realm he’s talking about? KATE: I think it’s the Foster. MacDonald was convinced that the crew was aiding his enemy. GIBBS: He’s going to set a bio bomb off on this ship. Tell me it’s not a full moon tonight. TONY: Sorry, boss. GIBBS: What time does the sun set? TONY: Twenty three thirty seven zulu. KATE: About an hour from now. TONY: Get Zuger in front of this computer and see if he can find out anything about MacDonald or a bio weapon in that game site. Navy ships do not carry bio-chemical weapons nor would they have the material to make them. Contact Reynolds and notify security. He’ll know if there’s anything unaccounted for in this region.

GIBBS: Skipper, I have reason to believe a bomb, possibly containing a bio agent, is set to detonate aboard this ship by sunset. RIVERS: How real do you think that threat is? GIBBS: Very real. RIVERS: Sound General Quarters. ROBBINS: Yes, Sir. RIVERS: Deploy the Flying Squad. Start with the ventilation systems and alert sick by of the situation and have them stand by. OFFICER: (V.O.) Aye aye, Sir! (SFX: WARNING TONES B.G.) VOICE OVER P.A.: General quarters! General quarters! All hands man your stations. Stand by for further… (MUSIC OVER ACTION/ PERSONNEL HURRY IN THE PASSAGEWAY) ZUGER: What’re you doing, Sir? TONY: Do you know anything about a bomb aboard this ship? ZUGER: What? TONY: Did MacDonald every talk about delivering a virus aboard the Foster!? ZUGER: No! I… I don’t think so. (MUSIC OVER ACTION SCENES OF PERSONNEL READYING FOR AN ATTACK)

CUT TO:

INT. COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER

TONY: Get on your site now! I want to know if there’s even the slightest clue about MacDonald setting off any kind of bio bomb aboard this ship.

CUT TO:

INT. PASSAGEWAY – DAY

KATE: Reynolds says there’s no known material missing, but the intel’s soft. They’ll continue to check. GIBBS: Stay on him every five minutes. KATE: He expressly told me to wait for his call. GIBBS: I expressly don’t give a damn. Ride his ass.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

EXT. PASSAGEWAY – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MEN SEARCHING INTO THE AIR DUCTS) (VOICE OVER P.A. B.G.)

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER

(SFX: COMPUTER VOICE LAUGHS) ZUGER: No! He can’t do this! GIBBS: What’s going on? TONY: I’m not sure. (SFX: COMPUTER BEEP TONES) ZUGER: Weylin hacked me. Kinvaras is gone. TONY: Is MacDonald covering his tracks? GIBBS: You listen to me very closely. There’s a good chance a bio bomb is going off on this ship by sunset. Right now you’re the best shot we’ve got to find it. You give me answers or I will make sure you are the last person in line on the evac. Did MacDonald even hint, in any way, of taking out this crew? ZUGER: No, Sir. Nothing. GIBBS: Go over MacDonald’s diary again. Maybe we missed something. I want to know every detail that happened just between you and MacDonald.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. BRIDGE – DAY

ROBBINS: Skipper, the hospitals in Raleigh are on standby and the helos from the Washington and the Bryan are on the way.

(BEGIN MONTAGE OF SHIP ACTION SCENES)

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER

GIBBS: We’ve got a little more than twenty minutes, Zuger. What is it you’re not telling me? (GIBBS THROWS ZUGER AGAINST THE DESK) GIBBS: Do you want the crew of this ship to die?! ZUGER: He was crazy, you know. He really thought he was immortal! GIBBS: He thought you were Kinvaras, didn’t he? That’s why you fought with real swords. ZUGER: I thought we were just playing the game. And then he tried to kill me. GIBBS: So you killed him? ZUGER: No! I didn’t … I just challenged him! GIBBS: (SHOUTS) Challenged him to what?! ZUGER: To go U.A. like he was always talking about! It told him to take his sword and swim to shore! GIBBS: Why was he wearing weights if he was going to swim?! (SHOUTS) Why did he have weights chained to his waist?! ZUGER: I told him that was the only way he could prove to me he was immortal. GIBBS: Why would you let him do that? ZUGER: To win the game. GIBBS: This isn’t helping us. What else is in those diaries? KATE: I’ve been over them twice. GIBBS: Well, go over them again, Kate!

KATE: I’m missing something. I know I am. How much time? TONY: A little over five minutes. KATE: This stuff MacDonald said about cutting off the head so the body will die. We’re assuming that’s a part of setting off a “plague against the realm.” But what if it meant two separate things. TONY: Okay. KATE: Zuger’s website and his character were destroyed. And the plague against the realm could simply be referring to a computer virus. TONY: And “cutting off the head” is another threat? KATE: Exactly. And MacDonald was sure that the crew was aligned with his enemy. He made it clear he was just as threatened with them as he was by Kinvaras. TONY: So he’s talking about the crew when he refers to cutting off the heads so the body will die. KATE: That’s what I’m thinking. TONY: Who’s the “head” of the crew? (KATE AND TONY RUN FROM THE ROOM)

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. CAPTAIN’S CABIN – DAY

RIVERS: My ship is in chaos because of your hunch, Agent Gibbs. GIBBS: I’d characterize it more as a deduction, Skipper. RIVERS: Whatever the hell it is, it’s pretty damn flimsy. GIBBS: I appreciate that. It’s all we have to go on. The Seaman’s mental attitude is… (DOOR OPENS) RIVERS: Is there some kind of NCIS protocol-- KATE: It’s not the boat! GIBBS: It’s a ship. KATE: It’s the Skipper. TONY: Where are you about this time every day, Sir? RIVERS: I don’t see what that has to do-- TONY: Just answer the question, Sir! RIVERS: Here. Everyday I send a -- KATE: We’ve got to go now! (ALL RUN FROM THE CABIN) GIBBS: Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! RIVERS: (V.O.) What the hell?

DUCKY: I’m finding this very hard to understand, Abby. ABBY: Where did I lose you? DUCKY: I think somewhere around the part about Weylin and Kinvaras… ABBY: Okay. Seaman MacDonald was Weylin. DUCKY: Got that. ABBY: And Petty Officer Zuger was Kinvaras. DUCKY: I remember that because it sounds a lot like Canaris. ABBY: What? DUCKY: A German Navy Admiral, World War Two. ABBY: Okay. Whatever works for you. So we’ve got MacDonald, Weylin, and Zuger… Kinvaras, battling online in The Immortals game. Zuger always wins, so MacDonald challenges him to a fight like for real. And they both buy officers’ swords at the Navy Exchange in Puerto Rico. DUCKY: But they were enlisted. ABBY: Let’s say they bought their commissions. DUCKY: That was done at one time, you know. ABBY: So they’re sword fighting and MacDonald wins. He cuts Zuger. Zuger gets pissed, and he goes back to the one thing that he knows he can beat MacDonald at. DUCKY: "The Immortals"? ABBY: Yes…. and no. Zuger realizes that MacDonald has tripped out and thought he really was Weylin. So Zuger challenges him to prove it. MacDonald puts weights around his waist, jumps ship, and tries to walk across the bottom of the bay to dry land. DUCKY: You know, Abby, sometimes the dead make more sense to me than the living. ABBY: Me, too.

CUT TO:

INT. XO’S STATEROOM – DAY

GIBBS: All right? KATE: I still can’t get over how the line between reality and fantasy were so blurred for Seaman MacDonald. GIBBS: For him, destroying Zuger’s website was every bit as real and violent as trying to kill the Skipper. TONY: I’m so glad my parents pushed me into sports in high school. Aren’t you interested at all in what I brought you back from Puerto Rico? KATE: Sure. GIBBS: (OVERLAP) All right. (KATE OPENS THE BAG) KATE: You’ve got to be kidding. TONY: It’s a bikini. Two piece. KATE: A bottom. And a hat? TONY: Puerto Rican. GIBBS: Any chance you’re going to try that on? KATE: You first. GIBBS: Trust me, it’s not going to fit. KATE: Pigs. I work with pigs. (GIBBS UNWRAPS THE PRESENT) TONY: It’s a fantasy R.P.G book, complete with character sheets and dice. Baby steps, Gibbs, baby steps. GIBBS: It’s in Spanish. TONY: There’s just no pleasing you, is there?